Xanthe fled the house, her mind swirling with heartbreak and rage. She barely noticed where her feet were taking her until she found herself in the pack's forested territory. She dropped to her knees near the edge of a stream, the weight of her emotions crushing her.
She thought back to every strained conversation, every moment of doubt. Was Michelle right all along? Was Lynam incapable of loving her the way she'd secretly yearned for?
Her wolf stirred uneasily, a low growl in the back of her mind. This isn't the time to break, it urged. We have a pack to lead.
But Xanthe shook her head. "How can I lead when I can't even hold my own life together?" she whispered.
The sound of footsteps snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned to see Elias approaching, his expression carefully neutral.
"Rough morning?" he asked, crouching a few feet away.
"What are you doing here?" Xanthe demanded, wiping her tears and rising to her feet.
"I heard about your little...domestic issue," Elias said with feigned concern. "The pack is buzzing with it. Not exactly the image of a strong Luna, is it?"
Xanthe bristled but didn't respond.
"You know," Elias continued, "it might be time to rethink your priorities. A pack needs a Luna who can focus solely on them, not someone distracted by a failing marriage."
Xanthe's wolf growled audibly this time, her anger boiling over. "Get out of my sight, Elias," she snapped.
Elias smirked but backed away. "Just trying to help," he said before disappearing into the trees.
Back at the estate, Lynam paced the living room, his frustration mounting. Michelle had left, satisfied that her plan was working, but Lynam was left with the fallout.
His phone buzzed with a text from his assistant, alerting him to an upcoming board meeting, but he ignored it. Business could wait. He needed to find Xanthe.
He called her, but the call went straight to voicemail.
"Damn it, Xanthe," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
He grabbed his keys and headed for his car, determined to track her down. As he drove toward the pack territory, his mind raced with memories of their happier times, of the woman who had once been his fiercest ally.
Meanwhile, Michelle met with Alex in a secluded café.
"She took the bait," Michelle said smugly, stirring her coffee.
"Good," Alex replied. "But we can't let up now. If she starts to doubt what she saw, it could unravel everything."
"Don't worry," Michelle said, leaning back in her chair. "I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve. By the time I'm done, Xanthe won't want anything to do with him."
Alex nodded, satisfied. "And when their bond breaks completely, the pack will start to question her leadership. That's when we strike."
Back in the forest, Xanthe finally allowed herself to shift into her wolf form, the transformation bringing a sense of clarity. Her wolf was larger and more powerful than most, a reflection of her status as Luna.
She ran through the trees, her senses heightened and her mind clearer. She couldn't let Michelle and Alex win. She couldn't let her pack down.
By the time she returned to the estate, her resolve had hardened. If Lynam wanted to salvage their marriage, he would have to prove it. And she would need to find a way to expose Michelle and Alex for what they truly were without revealing the supernatural secrets they didn't know.
As Xanthe approached the house, she found Lynam sitting on the front steps, his face etched with worry.
"I didn't do it," he said as soon as he saw her.
She stopped a few feet away, crossing her arms. "You expect me to believe that?"
"Yes," he said, standing and moving closer. "I swear to you, Xanthe, whatever you saw was a lie."
"Then prove it," she said, her voice firm.
Lynam nodded. "I will. Whatever it takes, I'll prove it to you."
Unbeknownst to them, Alex watched from a distance, his expression dark. The next phase of his and Michelle's plan would need to be more drastic to ensure Lynam and Xanthe's bond was shattered for good.